Personality, Health and Illness Flashcards
Define ‘personality’
Traits that are stable across time and situation
Situations are a better determinant of eventual behaviour
Fundamental attribution error:
Overemphasis on internal characteristics when explaining behaviour compared to external/environmental factors
Actor-observer bias - overestimate role of situation compared to personality
Heritable (50% variance in the 5 dimensions can be explained by genetic factors)
What is ‘behaviour’?
Interaction between personality and situation/environment
Five Factor Model of Personality
John & Srivastava 1999
- Introversion - extroversion
- Neuroticism
- Agreeableness
- Conscientiousness
- Openness
Usually assessed by questionnaire
Personality and disease
Personality characteristics linking directly to increased disease risk
Illness/disease may also influence personality
Same underlying cause (e.g. stress reactivity)
Personality and age
With age:
Conscientiousness, agreeableness and emotional stability increase
Openness decreases - independent of sex
How can personality affect health outcomes?
individual e.g. physical health/happiness
Happiness and Subjective wellbeing
Judging life satisfaction
Emotional component that accounts for experience of positive and absence of negative emotions
Personality factors are more influential than demographic factors
High extroversion and low neuroticism see situations in more positive light
Conscientiousness associated with longer lives and lower mental and physical health risk
Neuroticism associated with increased mental and physical health risk
How can personality affect health outcomes?
interpersonal e.g. forming relationships
Extroversion, agreeableness emotional regulation and low neuroticism links to empathy
Neuroticism and low agreeableness are predictors of poor relationship outcomes
How can personality affect health outcomes?
social/institutional e.g. work satisfaction/performance
Extroversion = positive social outcomes
Agreeableness = social interests and better job performance
Openness = artistic interests
Neuroticism not related to any occupational interests
Conscientiousness = better work performance
Low conscientiousness = criminal and anti-social behaviour
Low agreeableness and conscientiousness = drug abuse
Outline antisocial personality characteristics
Characteristics that challenge socially acceptable norms of behaviour, especially those that are indifferent to or cause harm to others
Classified as a “personality disorder”
Psychopaths are regarded as the extreme clinical expression of these personality characteristics which vary across population
Examples of antisocial personality characteristics
Aggression, tough-minded Unsocialised Lack of empathy or concern for others Disregard rules Engage in exciting, risky and criminal activities
Personality and mental health
Neuroticism associated with increased risk of depression and anxiety and worse physical health
Poorer physical health makes poor mental health more likely and vice versa
Physiological effects of mental stress
Stimulated SNS Increased HPA Increased catecholamines Vasoconstriction Increased platelet aggregation Increased HR, BP Increased inflammatory cytokines
Physiological effects of depression
Stimulated SNS Increased catecholamines Platelet aggregation Increased HR and variability Increased QT variability Predictor of VT
Depression in cardiac patients
Rates of depression higher in cardiac patients
Depression found to be a cardiac risk/aetiologic factor
Affects morbidity and mortality (3.5x) in CV disease
Depression criteria (DSM-IV)
5 or more of the following, at least one 1 and 2, most of the day, nearly everyday
Depressed mood
Diminished interest/pleasure in all activities
Significant weight loss or weight gain
Insomnia/hypersomnia
Psychomotor agitation/retardation
Fatigue/loss of energy
Feelings of worthlessness/excessive guilt
Decreased ability to think/concentrate
Recurrent thoughts of death/suicidal ideation
